Strings and Things
by tiny.sakura
Summary: She tries not to notice them. The two red strings on fingers that signal two soulmates are out there. One who will change your life, and the one you're meant to be with. The strings that mean too much when she only knows so little. Where Senju Sakura grows up knowing secrets she's not supposed to in a village of soldiers readying for war. Short Chapters. Non-Mass. Multi-Saku.
1. Chapter 1

Ever since Senju Sakura could remember, she saw red strings tied to everyone's fingers. Two for each person. One string for your romantic soulmate and one string for your platonic soulmate. She also knows that different fingers mean different connections.

But for some reason, she had four. She had only ever seen one person with three, and that person was a kid in her pre-school class named Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto was another child of the Hokage (well, former Hokage) just like she was.

So what was it that made them special? All she knew was that it was important.

* * *

 **Another 100-word Drabble from little old me.**

 **In this slightly different AU, the Uchihas are still alive, Naruto's parents didn't die, and Naruto isn't the Kyuubi container. Oh, and Senju Nawaki is Sakura's father, a widower, and the Hokage. So not too different? Or a lot- depending on how you see it.**


	2. Secret Strings

Sakura knows that her birthday soon. _Yuck._ She hates it when things are all about her. She doesn't want to be a princess, or a Lady, or _-sama_. But she knows it makes other people happy to call her those things, so she lets it go.

On occasion, Sakura can almost hear her mother's laugh and feel the breeze because Kaa-san always left all the windows and back screen door open. Even now, she can fully recall all of the stories of her mother's homeland, Kiri, and all of her stories of magical water nymphs from The Hidden Whirlpool Village who could use magic and make others see the things that they imagined.

And Sakura can remember the time she told her Kaa-san about the red strings that she saw- attached to everyone's fingers. She told her, "Kaa-san! You have a string attached to Tou-san's finger too! Just like with the secret person always in the trees!"

"Sakura-chan," her mother warned, suddenly serious, "you must never tell anyone that you see those strings. You cannot tell Tou-san, or anyone else. Understood?"

Afraid, she nodded, "O-okay, Kaa-san."

The strings were never mentioned again.

* * *

 **Welp! I lied, so this story is going to have 200-word chapters because I feel like I can't get everything I want into these chapters. But yay for you guys! More words!**


	3. Thats a cat?

Sometimes, when she's allowed out of the compound, on those very rare occasions, Sakura sees old people with only one or no strings. She tries not to look at them with pity. Her mother once told her that it's rude to do so. Her mother isn't here anymore- but she still tries to remember her advice.

On a monthly trip to the store, the young Senju finds a (familiar?) black and orange tabby cat with... _a string_! Green eyes lit up and looked up at her baby sitter cautiously. He loved to gossip with some of the ladies at the market, always trying to keep up with everything happening around the village. So, when he was distracted enough, the youngest Senju slipped away and followed the path that the cat had taken.

After finding him, she followed him, as secretly as an untrained ninja kid could. Everything was going smoothly until he all but evaporated into thin air!

"How...?" Green orbs scanned the streets.

The cat reappeared in front of her, sufficiently startling her, **_"How the hell are you following me?"_**

Now she'd seen everything. This cat, this odd tabby cat, with a red string... talked.

Definitely not normal.

* * *

 **Okay, so, mayyyyyybe I'll stick with 200-word chapters because it feels waaaaay too choppy otherwise. Also, sorry for the lack of updates!! I've been really sick lately and writing hasn't been the first thing on my mind. ): expect more updates soon!**


	4. Who cares?

Curiosity seemed to have gotten the better of Sakura, she tilted her head in question, "I feel like I've known you my whole life, kitty." She reached out her small hand to pet the tabby cat.

The cat leaned into the toddler's touch. "I, apparently, can't go too far from you." Getting used to her delicate pets, he purred softly.

The young Senju's nose scrunched, "I don't get it." There was too much that Sakura didn't understand. She wanted to know _everything_ by six... hopefully.

If it was possible, because what the hell else can't be possible by now, the cat chuckled. "Well, kid, I'm not too sure how to explain reincarnation."

"Reincar-... uh, what was that word again?" Too big of a word for too small of a brain. Sakura _needed_ to get a bigger dictionary for her studies. She felt so far behind her classmates already. She was only _three_ reading levels ahead of everyone in her class and she knew that most clan kids didn't even go to her preschool.

"Hey... earth to Sakura!" The cat growled, "shouldn't you ask why you can understand me?"

She hadn't thought about that. She shrugged her shoulders. "Who cares?"

* * *

 **Wow, I didn't think I was going to write this chapter, but it was just too cute! The next chapter features the same scene but with a little stress for small Sakura at the end. I'm so happy that everyone likes this story so far. You all make me so happy. (:**


	5. Come home with me?

Sakura rocked back and forth on her stubby legs when she finally seemed to process everything that was going on. She decided, "Kitty, since you have to stick with me anyways, why don't you come home with me?" She held her arms out so her new kitty could jump into them.

"Uh, no thanks kid," he deadpanned. He swore that this child before him was some sort of psycho for not questioning any part of this whole situation. What kind of kid isn't curious about everything? "Besides," he stretched, "I've got some grown up business to do."

"But how are you going to do that if I'm the only one who can understand you?" She giggled at the idea of a cat meowing his problems away.

The cat hung his head in shame, "okay kid, I guess you're right." He _could_ use her as a medium for his problems.

The rosette jumped in joy, "you're gonna love being my kitty! We can eat cool food, play outside, sleep in the sun, and-"

"Sakura-sama!" Came an angry shout. A teenaged blond boy stomped over to his charge mumbling profanities.

Sakura shrieked in terror, running home as fast as possible, "Kitty!"

* * *

 **Oh boy, I hope you guys didn't forget that Sakura had snuck away! The poor child is in for a world of trouble! I'd personally be terrified if I ever lost a child I was in charge of. Hope you all are well!**


	6. What’s reincarnation?

"Tou-chan!" Young Sakura ran into the main house, desperately trying to ditch her babysitter who'd been chasing her since the market.

Senju Nawaki turned towards his daughter, opening his arms wide to catch her as she jumped. He laughed joyously, "what's my girl doing?"

The teenaged Senju shook his fist in Sakura's direction since she could see him out the window. She stuck her tongue out in defiance. "Tou-chan! I've got a question," Sakura began.

"And I have an answer!" He teased, "let's see if they match."

"Is reincar... recare... uh...?" Why couldn't she remember the word? She was always good at remembering!

"Reincarnation?" Nawaki supplied.

Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "Real?"

"I, personally, don't believe so." He saw Sakura's souring face and sighed, "y'know, your mother used to believe in spirits that would save the people they love if they were ever in danger."

Sakura's eyes widened at any information about her mother. They rarely talked about her since she... died. She soaked up everything about her beloved mother.

"I need to go Sakura-chan, Hokage business, sweetie," the Godaime Hokage patted his daughter's head softly.

Sakura nodded sadly, "okay, Tou-san." She flashed him a fake smile, running upstairs.

* * *

 **I'm trying sooo hard to keep these chapters at 200 words, but right now I'm at 202. DX Do you guys want longer chapters? I don't feel comfortable writing anything over 450 words for my short chapter stories but would you guys want that? I hope you're all doing okay!**

 **But! Did you notice our little Sakura call her dad a different suffix in the last section? It broke my heart to write that.**

 **-Tiny**


	7. Here kitty, kitty!

After Sakura felt her father leave the compound she got up from her bed, as quietly as she could, went down her house's staircase and opened the back sliding door nonchalantly, which leads to the Senju's main house garden area. The fresh floral scent of her father's garden made her feel warm inside, a feeling that was not taken lightly.

She knew how hard her father worked to create the exact garden he wanted, how he created blue-green roses because they reminded him of her mother's eyes. He had grown a collection of carnations that had her mother's beautiful rose-pink hair color. Sakura even remembered how he grew a patch of forget-me-nots in the corner of the garden where she painted the various flora and fauna of their private garden.

Haruna Senju was truly beautiful. Sakura looked up to her for so long. To the young Senju heiress, her mother lived through the flowers that grew and lived happily in their garden.

After saying hello to the various greenery, Sakura looked around for the exact string she came out to see.

She tried not to stare at the strings connected to everyone around her, but when she grew bored in her room she often stared at how her various strings were different shades of red. So looking for a rather dark orange string was much easier to pick out from other shades she had grown accustomed to.

"Kitty!" She shouted happily. The odd tabby cat jumped down to her feet and followed her as she beckoned it to follow her. "I'm so glad you came home with me." She slid the door shut behind her and continued to converse with the rather large cat.

XOXOXO

The hidden figures in the trees took note of how she talked to it as if it could understand, and how the cat would mewl back, as if in response. Their conversation lasted well over three hours, at which they knew their Hokage was out of a clan meeting.

A silent ninja dressed head to toe is black and silver plating dropped down a branch to watch their charge with hidden amusement shielded by the cat mask on their face. "Mouse, should we intervene? The cat has lurked around her since she was two. It's a ninkin with an unknown master."

"Hold for now," Mouse replied. "Lady Sakura has willingly let it inside. She's not under any jutsu that I'm aware of."

Cat nodded silently. They would let their Hokage know nonetheless.

* * *

 **After my last update, a reviewer and private user let me know that they wanted longer chapters because I update so sparsely. I want to say that I honestly hadn't noticed that my updates are so infrequent. I want to apologize for that, and I'm going to try my hardest to update more frequently. A lot of things are starting to calm down now, so hopefully, I can get back into a regular updating schedule.**

 **Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and a little bit more about what Sakura's background and family life looked like.**


	8. Naturally

After another all-nighter to finish the mounds of endless paperwork, Senju Nawaki opened the front door to his home. As always, the blond went to check on his sole child and make sure the traps in her room were adequately placed, earlier on the previous night. His amber eyes picked apart her room, which he quickly agreed it needed to be cleaned and eyed the tabby cat sleeping on Sakura's bed. He heard from Mouse that the cat was let inside by his daughter but he couldn't decide on if it was a good idea or not to keep it inside the house, much less in Sakura's room.

Almost on cue, the cat yawned and slipped under the covers of the petite girl's bed and purred lightly against her side. Nawaki didn't miss the cat's eyes fall on him almost challenging him, watching him, daring him to make a move. The Senju clan's head narrowed his eyes on the creature. He would discuss this more thoroughly with his ANBU later on. For now, he was rather tired.

His finger pointed towards the window across the hall and beckoned the ANBU currently stationed outside of it. "Bear, you mentioned that she spoke with the cat in an understanding context?"

The ANBU in a bear mask nodded. "It seemed like they understood each other," Bear added.

The Hokage nodded. "There are some things that will be changing soon. Starting with, her meeting children her age outside of the pre-academy classroom and clan walls."

"We'll arrange it, Hokage-sama."

"No," the Senju intervened, "this will happen naturally. Have Ichijogi take her to the park. Watch her from afar, but do not interfere unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 **Yay! We're going to take a look at Sakura's schooling soon and she's gonna meet some great friends! I'm excited! Also, if you want to see all of my tags, pairings, and characters who will appear within this story, please check out the AO3 version of this story, title and creator still the same (me). But there is a little bit extra content that is not on this site as well as other small changes. Check it out if you have the time!**

 **I'm still doing my best to have several chapters prepared ahead of time so I can update on a regular schedule. Have fun reading!**


	9. First friend ever!

It's been a month since Sakura has been let out with her rather odd clansman, Ichijogi Senju. The young brunet often left her alone, in the middle of a park, without any supervision, without _anyone_ watching her... He was... much different than her usual baby sitter. He's been way more than relaxed with her. This time he walked her halfway to the park and "shoo-ed" her away the rest of the way. The youngest Senju wouldn't dare tell her father or any other clansman, she rather liked her newfound freedom.

Sakura walked around the playground area with her hands holding each other behind her back, she argued with herself on whether or not she wanted to meet the people attached to her fingers. She often decided on the fact that she'd rather meet them as people as opposed to meeting them as people who will mean everything to her. So, behind her back, they stayed.

When Sakura arrived at the park she noticed the one boy in her class who's smile was as bright as the sun in the sky. Uzumaki Naruto, they were in the same pre-academy class together, alongside other non-ninja clan children. Those from prominent clans tended to only enroll their children in the actual ninja academy and nothing before that. Thinking about the academy she'd be enrolled into next year gave her jitters she never knew how to handle. Focusing on her goal at hand, she marched over towards the ball of sunshine on the swings.

"H-hello?" Her greeting came out more as a question than she intended to. She cleared her throat when he didn't notice her.

"Oh hey!" The young Uzumaki shouted when he noticed his classmate. "Sakura-chan, you're here," the blond jumped off the swing set and hugged her tightly, "wait, why are ya by yourself?" He didn't release her as he turned jerkily right and left trying to find her old caretaker.

Sakura didn't realize how much she needed a hug lately until he shook her shoulders and shouted in her face when tears started pouring out. She sniffled softly and tried to wipe her tears away quickly and quietly, but he had noticed them much too long ago.

"Sakura-chan..." his own eyes began to glass over, "are you okay? Did I make you cry? Did I hurt you?" His lower lip began to wobble.

She shook her head and tried to hastily wipe away her tears that seemed to stop flowing. "I-I'm okay, N-Naruto-san."

He perked up slowly as he saw her tears fading. "Then why'd ya cry, ya know?" His whiskered face still held its pout.

Sakura decided then and there that she hated seeing anything but a smile on her classmate's face, "I, uh, I..." She couldn't come up with an answer that seemed plausible other than the truth. "I just don't get hugs that often," she admitted quietly.

Naruto scrunched his nose and snorted, "Well then I'm just gonna have'ta give ya buncha hugs 'cause that's what friends do, dattebayo!"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, "I'm your friend?" She held him at an arm's distance.

Naruto flashed his trademark smile and gave her a thumbs up, "of course!"

A warm feeling radiated throughout Sakura's being and slowly seeped out of her. The rosette's smile grew to a new width. She had a friend. _Her first friend._

* * *

 **I'm crying, you guys! Sakura has a friend who isn't one of her clansmen. A friend! And the best friend anyone could ever ask for if you asked me.**

 **I'm trying to schedule out my updates. So, hopefully, every Friday I will be able to update Strings and Things.**


	10. Uchihas and Senjus don’t mix

It's been three weeks since Sakura first made friends with Naruto and with each passing day her confidence began to grow. She skipped over to where the blond and herself usually met, across the swingset and next to the grassy area with the purple wildflowers and the blue benches.

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura heard her blond best, and only, friend calling out to her. He was with a dark-haired kid who seemed to be around her age and seemed to be beckoning the new kid over to follow him as he ran towards her. "Sakura-chan!" He called out again and he picked her up into a tight hug and spun around with her in his arms.

"Naruto-kun, who is-" she couldn't get her question out before the blond began to tug her in his other friend's direction. She almost tripped over her own shoes at the pace he was pulling her.

"Sasuke-teme!" He called to his friend, "Teme! This is Sakura-chan!" He tried to introduce the two when he noticed Sasuke glare at the young rose-haired child.

Sakura noticed the boy's apprehension to her and stilled her feet letting Naruto's hand slip between her grasp. The raven-haired boy glared in her direction and she looked uncomfortably at her feet. "I... I should go, I'll see you later Naruto-san," The young Senju bowed towards the Uzumaki child and ran out of the park towards where she knew Ichijogi would somehow be waiting for her.

The unsettling feeling his friend gave off gnawed at her stomach. She had never seen someone give her such an expression of hatred and she almost wanted to cry. He may be connected to Naruto for life, but she didn't have to face him any time soon. Not when he hated her for no good reason.

XOXOXO

"Oi! Teme! Why'd you scare Sakura-chan like that?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. He was _finally_ going to make his two best friends meet each other, but Sasuke's attitude had to go and mess that up. "Why'd you do that to Sakura-chan?" He repeated.

"You didn't tell me she was a _Senju,_ " Sasuke argued hushedly. "She isn't a good person." The Uchiha crossed his arms defiantly, he heard his father and other clansmen talk about the Senju before. He knew that they were always up to no good. That's what his Otou-san said and he was _always_ right.

"Her name is Senju Sakura?" the blond questioned. It was then that it clicked in his rather dense skull. "Oh yeah!"

Sasuke snorted at his best friend. How the hell was he stuck with this blond as his best friend?

* * *

 **Oh boy! We've got some clue's about string attachments and how the Uchiha and Senju relationship is going. I hope Sasuke and Sakura can be friends soon. The whole Dai-nana-han relationship needs to form quickly in case they grow apart. ):**

 **Also! Next chapter is going to be extra long! I hope you like it! As you can see, I've added some characters to this story, these show 3 of Sakura's strings, but 1 is still missing. Whole bunch of twists and turns coming this way!**

 **Please review! It gives me encouragement to go on. (:**


	11. Always ask the cat!

Laying on her tummy, young Senju Sakura worked on a coloring page that one of her dad's friends drew for her. A huge picture of her father's special garden. It was always blooming and nothing would ever be in disarray. She hummed a small tune that her mother once sang to her. She felt something shift around her that made Sakura sit up quickly and look around for the source of the new static in the air.

It's not that she was completely unaware of the sensation in the air, just a few seconds ago. The pulsing around her when she was lost in thought just seemed to amplify tenfold. She recognized the feeling as it felt similar to the breeze that always circulated in her old home... when she lived with just Okaa-san. She honestly, hadn't felt that lightweight since they left the outskirts of Kirigakure when she was three.

Pink eyebrows furrowed together, trying to bring back that feeling that reminded her of much simpler times when they lived near the rivers. Why did it show up just now, for the first time in years? Okaa-san told her a long time ago, that she could remember her just by singing. But it never happened again, not after her death. Sakura shivered at the loss of the mysterious feeling that had just previously surrounded her.

The tabby pawed its way into her room, bringing her out of her feelings. "Sakura-chan?" the little cat called out to its master. "Are you okay in here?" He jumped onto the bed and placed its two front paws on her thighs, trying to see her face closer. He didn't quite understand the feeling that leaked out of her room a few minutes ago. It's not that he cared for her, or anything... He simply had a goal to accomplish. Yeah, that's it.

"Kitty!" Sakura pet the length of its back with gentle hands. "I'm alright, are you okay?" Her mind was still a little preoccupied at the moment, and her cat noticed it as well.

"If you say so," he grumbled. Being a cat caused him to feel absolutely useless in this world now. Not like how he used to feel. Ugh! This was too complicated for even a complex mind like his.

Sakura snapped her small fingers at the remembrance of her thought from yesterday. "Oh! I was going to ask you something, but I didn't see you yesterday."

"Sorry," the orange and black cat apologized. "I had, uh, business to attend to."

The rosette nodded in naive understanding. Cats were busy just like her father, it seemed. "Why does Naruto's friend Sasuke not like me?" She folded into a little ball, by pulling her knees to her chest. "I just don't understand what I did wrong. He just made a really mean face and made me feel really scared."

The cat almost snickered at her confession, so _that's_ what his young charge had been overthinking about. He looked at her saddened eyes with pity, he could make fun of her another time. "Sakura-chan... He belongs to the Uchiha clan and you belong to the Senju clan. Do you know why they don't like each other?"

Green eyes shined in curiosity, while she shook her head quickly, "I have no idea. I know that sometimes Ichijogi-san walks a different way to the park because he sees someone sometimes. Most of the time it's because he sees a weird girl. I don't know why he does that, though..." The last part she mumbled to herself. Senju Ichijogi was just so strange sometimes.

The cat sighed heavily. He was going to have one heck of a time with this kid.

* * *

 **I'm so glad I could type this chapter out for you, you guys! I'm still trying to stick to my updates on Fridays for Strings and Things, and Tuesdays for Pinky Promises. This was an exceptionally long chapter since I had much too much to pack into here. So I hope you enjoyed all of the extra wording!**

 **I have a collection of one-shots that I'm preparing for you guys. Especially ShisuixSakura lovers. I hope you guys had a great day and happy weekend!**


	12. Follow father’s advice

On her third week of purposely avoiding the park to meet up with Naruto, Senju Sakura caved. She really missed her best friend... a LOT. So, when she sees one cheerful blond dragging a moody raven-haired kid she knows what she needs to do. Tou-chan always told her to be polite and that most uncomfortable situations can be fixed with some smiles and kindness. Of course, that might not always be true, especially since Kaa-chan always told her to stand her ground, but she knows that she has to follow Tou-chan's advice right now.

As the sun and moon duo approached and were close enough, Sakura bowed at her waist in a semi-deep fashion. She needed to show her respect for this Uchiha. She knew _all_ about feuding clans after all. The young rosette brought herself back up and flashed him a cheery smile. She held out her petite hand for him to shake and introduced herself, "Hello! My name is Senju Sakura. I'm glad that we could finally meet."

Sasuke looked at her as if she grew a third arm. _Senju's_ weren't supposed to be _nice._ They weren't supposed to be _polite._ Was his Tou-san wrong this whole time? Or was this un-Senju looking girl actually not a Senju? She was weird, alright. But he knew better than to not shake her hand. "Uchiha Sasuke," he muttered with a blush forming on his cheeks. Why did his body betray him at a time like this?

"Okay!" One Uzumaki shouted. He had to be included in this too, ya know, "what are we gonna play, you guys?" Naruto listed off a bunch of games that he liked to play while counting them on his fingers.

He and Sakura were completely unaware of the young Uchiha who still couldn't seem to figure out their relationship. Not that he cared, anyway. They were both obviously stupid and childish.

On the other hand, Sakura thought that she might have been too quick to judge the still moody Uchiha standing next to her. After all, he couldn't be that bad of a guy if he had to be eternally stuck with the blond ball of sunshine she called her best friend.

* * *

 **Woo! Another chapter out of my brain of ideas. I'm not quite sure how long I want this story to be, but I know where I want it to go. And by now you must have seen my tags. There _is_ still one string missing, but they won't be a love interest. Also, Sakura is still baby-ish. She definitely does _not_ know all about feuding clans. **

**Hope you're all doing well! Please leave me reviews as it helps me know that you guys still love me.**

 **T~T**

 **Tiny.**


	13. Defend and protect

Bravery comes easily to Sakura. When it comes to sticking up for others Sakura will always be there. But to have her stick up for herself? Not quite so much. Nevertheless, when she saw a young raven-haired girl with pearly eyes staring at her best friend she knew that she had to go over to her.

Her pace quickened when she saw some of the bullies she had to face once upon a time ago, she knew she had to pull her out of there. Especially since Ami had her eyes fixated on the poor, shy girl. Sakura grabbed her hand and quickly ran off dragging the confused girl behind. Once they were well out of harm's way she flashed a bright smile towards her companion. "Hi! I'm Sakura!"

Her (hopefully) new friend's face was red as a tomato and huffing, clearing not in the same shape as Sakura, herself. "Uhm, I'm sorry I took you away from over there," Sakura confessed softly. "There were these girls that used to bully me when I was younger and I wanted to keep you safe."

"I-It's alright," she spoke softly. "Th-They b-bully me t-too." Her pearly eyes were downcast in what appeared to be shame. She was from the powerful Hyuuga clan and even she couldn't keep bullies away. But she knew that if she spoke a word of it to her father, then he would demand that the girl's families do something about their children. She knew that he already looked down upon her for being so meek and shy, she couldn't add more fuel to the fire.

Sakura crossed her arms across her chest and pouted, "then I guess we girls have to stick together!" The young rosette clapped her hands at her response. This was genius. With the two of them together, there was no way anything could come between them. "What's your name?" her tone grew softer. Her new friend seemed so delicate. Just like a pearly rose, that she had her father grow. It was one of her favorite flowers in the garden.

"M-My name is H-Hyuuga Hinata-a," she whispered back. Was this real? Was she really making her first friend? Her clan was so divided, the only other clansman near her age was her cousin Neji. But he always looked at her in distaste.

Sakura stuck her hand out to shake Hinata's, "Okay, Hyuuga-san! From now on we're friends!"

A rosy hue dusted the cautious girl's cheeks. "H-Hinata, is okay." Her eyes widened when she said that. Did she just demand something from her very first friendship? What if she took it the wrong way? Hinata felt like crying at that very moment.

"Okay, Hinata-chan!" Sakura exclaimed giddily. "You can call me Sakura-chan, then too!"

Tears were well gone from her eyes as they shined with newfound hope. "You're my very first friend, Sakura-chan," it was such a small confession. But she couldn't help but say it. No one had ever looked out for her like that before.

"You're my first girl friend," Sakura replied. "I have two other friends who can be your friends too." The green-eyed child's smile was as bright as the sun above the trees.

"I-I'd like th-that," Hinata giggled. It felt _so good_ to have a friend.

The undetected man in the trees smiled down on the two girls. He watched her with his brown eyes. _'She's making progress.'_

* * *

 **Well, there we have it kiddos! Our leading lady is making friends. But who is this mysterious man in the trees? Please review as it gives me motivation!**

 **I love you all!**

 **-Tiny**


	14. Classes can be fun

Sometimes Sakura likes her preschool class, and sometimes she doesn't. She likes being with other kids and making friends, but most non-clan families send their children here and all of the parents want their children to play with Sakura. Sakura doesn't want to come off as rude or mean, but sometimes she just gets tired of having to pretend that these people actually want to be her friend instead of them wanting to please their parents.

But one person in her class always brightens her day. His sunshine personality always shined bright, even though most kids didn't want to play with him. So whenever Namikaze Naruto wanted to play with Sakura her day lit up like there was no tomorrow. She wouldn't have to deal with the bullies in her class making mean comments, she wouldn't have to hide her feelings about being treated like she was someone special or having to be perfect all the time, and she definitely didn't have to pretend to be happy all of the time.

He was the brightest thing in her life and she knew damn well that he would always be her best friend.

Little did the two laughing and playing children know, a tall brunette figure in the back of the classroom smiled upon them brightly. He knew his new guardian would take care of his youngest self. They were destined to be that way, anyways.

* * *

 **So this chapter was definitely one of my shorter ones, but hopefully, you don't hate me too much for it. A new chapter to come next week! It'll lead to a whirlwind of a short saga. Keep in touch and please review!**


	15. Birthday part 1

The night before Senju Sakura's 6th birthday, the Senju household had quite a few things going on. This was the year that she was _finally_ going to be going to the academy. Yet, she couldn't help but feel lonely. Her cat had slept with her throughout the night, but something in the back of Sakura's mind left her waking in the early hours of the morning. Green eyes fluttered open and found their way over to the bright clock on the nightstand by the bed. 0530 was what the clock had read. Sakura resisted the urge to groan. She was going to have to get up in an hour and a half, yes, but why was she awake now?

She heard the tiny purr of her little tabby cat who was cuddled in the crook of her legs, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. It was nights like these that she wished her mother was still here. She would rub her back until she fell asleep while singing words that were foreign to Konoha. It was the language that her mother had been teaching her until she had passed one day, one that she never used around her father. Her mother explained that it might confuse him to hear her speaking another language and might worry him. That reason never seemed to sit right in Sakura's stomach.

Sakura moved slightly, testing to see if she could leave the bed without awakening her cat. She had still never asked for its name, she realized once her toes touched the cold floor below. It seemed quite rude to wake him up to do so, so "Kitty" it would stay, for now. She cautiously made her way over to her bedroom door when her father had pulled it open silently, slightly startling her.

He motioned for her to follow him, seeing that she already had her robe on, and helped her slip on her sandals. She followed him quietly but noticed the red strings that seemed to trail behind and in front of them. It was after they reached the tree-line that she realized where her father was taking her. She sped up quickly and sat down in the dirt, not caring about the world around her, or how dirty she was going to get.

"Hello, Oka-san," she whispered quietly. She touched the gravestone in front of her gently.

No matter what, it seemed that Senju Nawaki knew what his daughter wanted or needed. He knew his wife would be smiling upon their daughter happily, knowing that Sakura had come to see her on their shared birthday.

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 **Hey! I just wanted to let you all know that the update dates will now be posted on my profile page. However, I will still try to update this story every Friday. Thank you all so much for the follows and favorites!**

 **Please read and review! You all know how much they make my heart happy.**

 **-Tiny.**


	16. Birthday part 2

Her birthday party was _so loud_ when she was inside. She knew that she had to mingle with the clan heirs and heiresses, but gosh darn it, all she wanted to do was spend time with her mother! Senju Haruna had passed away two years ago, and although this wasn't her first birthday without her, she knew that this was her last birthday before she started the academy. Also, it didn't help that she hadn't seen anyone who just wanted to relax outside either.

Senju Sakura, one day away from turning six, huffed out a frustrated sigh and sat on the stone bench, in the garden area, right outside Konoha's ballroom. She played with the cattails that grew near the pond where she sat. Where was _her_ cat right now?

"Sakura-chan!" meowed the cutest kitty she had ever owned. Well, he had been the only kitty that she had ever owned, but he was still the cutest, in her opinion.

"Kitty!" cried the young heiress who caught the ever-growing cat in her arms. Had he really been this big when she first met him?

"Sakura, someone is coming outside, and it's not an ANBU," he warned her carefully. The red-stringed cat jumped down from his spot in her arms so she could brush off the fur that he always left behind off of her forest green and silver kimono.

Sakura looked around cautiously, where was her newfound guest? Green eyes quickly spotted a brunette boy with pearly white eyes. Sakura held her hands behind her back so she wouldn't see if their strings were attached before they made their first impressions. She always wanted to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

"Hello?" she called out to her guest.

He saw her quickly, bowing profusely when she came close enough to where he stood. "My apologies, Senju-sama. I didn't mean to walk out of your party or to bother you."

He seemed so polite, but what he did made her feel too much like royalty and she hated it. Her hands gently pushed up back upwards, so he no longer bowed in her presence. "You don't have to bow, you know. It's not like I'm a princess or anything," she reassured him quickly.

"I apologize," the young boy was about to bow once more, but a delicate hand shot out quickly, successfully stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm Sakura," the young rosette beamed at him brightly. She wanted friends more than anything, and she already made friends with someone with the same pearly eyes as himself. She was positively sure she could make another one.

He stood there, assessing her gesture for a second and carefully grabbed her hand with his, "Hyuuga Neji, Sakura-sama."

She made a face that showed her disinterest to the address. "Sakura, is just fine, Neji-kun." Her emerald eyes caught his guarded white ones and gave him her best eye-crinkling smile.

Why was he so cautious of her?

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 **Can you guys guess why he was just so cute and cautious? Do you think he should have the brand yet? I'm leaning towards no, but I don't know if I can put up a good enough reason for it. Let me know what you think!**

 **As always, reviews mean the world to me!**

 **Tiny**


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